Dempsey and his U.S. teammates will open play in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Natal, Brazil, on Monday, June 16, when they face Ghana. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. ET and the match will be televised live on ESPN. The United States continues group play on June 22, versus Portugal (6 p.m., ESPN) in Manaus, Brazil, before they battling Germany (12 p.m., ESPN) on June 26, at the Arena Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil. The top two teams in each four-team group will advance to the 16-team knockout phase of the tournament.

This summer’s World Cup marks the third for Dempsey. A member of the Furman Athletics Hall of Fame and Southern Conference Hall of Fame, Dempsey joined the United States National Team in November of 2004 and helped his team qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, where he netted his first goal on the world’s biggest soccer stage in a loss to Ghana.

Four years later, Dempsey helped the U.S. engineer a return trip through World Cup qualifying to the finals in South Africa. The versatile midfielder and forward scored the game-tying goal in a group match versus England to help the American side advance to the knockout stage for the first time since 2002.

A three-time U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year selection, Dempsey has scored 37 times for his country in 105 matches. With his 2010 goal versus England, he became just the second American to score in multiple World Cup tournaments.

Dempsey, who was named as team captain by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann earlier this year, has tallied one goal for the United States in 2014 while making four starts. He has led U.S. to a 2-1 victories over Turkey and Nigeria over the last week as part of the team’s send-off series. Following its victory over Nigeria on Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla., the team travelled to Brazil to begin final preparations for next week’s match against Ghana in Natal.

A 2002 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America choice as a Paladin, Dempsey led Furman to a pair of Southern Conference titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances before joining Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution in 2003. The midfielder netted 17 goals and added 19 assists during his three years at Furman while earning All-SoCon honors three times and garnering NSCAA All-South Region accolades in 2001 and 2002.

After scoring 25 times in 71 matches with the Revolution, capturing 2004 MLS Rookie of the Year honors and being selected to the MLS Best XI in 2005 and 2006, the Nacogdoches, Texas, native moved to English Premier League side Fulham in 2007. Dempsey netted 23 goals in all competitions during the 2011-12 campaign while helping the London based club to a ninth place finish in the Premier League. In five-and-a-half years at Craven Cottage, Dempsey totaled 61 goals, led the club to the 2010 Europa League final and twice earned Fulham Player of the Season accolades.

His 17 league goals during the 2011-12 season, tied for fourth most in the EPL, helping him finish fourth in league player of the year voting by the Football Writer’s Association behind Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes. During the 2011-12 season, Dempsey passed former Fulham striker Brian McBride as the highest scoring American in Premier League history and surpassed Louis Saha’s club record for goals in a single season in the top flight of English football.

The former Paladin joined Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League on a three-year contract in August of 2012. He netted 12 goals in 43 appearances for Spurs, including the winning tally in a victory over league champions Manchester United at Old Trafford. Dempsey returned to the United States on August 3, 2013, after one year at Spurs when he signed with the Seattle Sounders of MLS. Dempsey was sent out on a two-month loan to Fulham in January before returning to Seattle for the beginning of the 2014 MLS campaign. Since his return, Dempsey has scored eight goals in eight starts to guide Seattle to the top of the Western Conference standings.

Fans can follow updates on Dempsey and the U.S. National Team throughout the World Cup at USSoccer.com and by following @USSoccer on Twitter. Also, follow @FurmanPaladins and @FurmanSoccer on Twitter to read stories and updates about Dempsey’s World Cup journey.

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